Fire box construction



1931- R. .1. HIMMELRIGHT I FIRE BOX CONSTRUCTION Original Filed'March 21, 1928 Fatentecl Get. 13, 1931 UNITED s'raras RALEIGH J. I-IIMMELRIGHT, E NEVI ROQEELLTE', it'Ew' YoEK, Assieitoa r0 GENERAL REFRACTORIES corarmw, or PHILADELPHIA, rmnvs"sr'mrii1 \1I.A',A;coaroinarioir or? PENNSYLVANIA FIRE Box oons'rn'uorron Applicationfiled March 21, 1928, Serial No. 263,379. renewed March; e1, 1931. 1. v

My invention relates to locomotive fire boxes and particularly to an improvement in the thrust block employed at the intersection of vertical and inclined bafiie walls in the fire.

wardly to the arch tubes, the lattersupport-i ing an inclined horizontal bail-1e, both of said walls being composed of individual bricks laid in place. It is also customary to mount tubes in the vertical wall, the tubes being anchored in a cross member and serving to stiflt'en and maintain the integrity of the wall. In previous constructions, a metal cap piece has been employed, resting on the top of the vertical wall and having wings or lateral proj ections to underlie the tubes, the metal memher acting as a thrust block for transmitting. the diagonally downwardly directed force of the inclined arch 'tothe arch tubes and vertical wall.

My invention contemplates a thrust block V the tube within the vertical wall the block,

resting upon the top of the vertical Wall. In

this manner, the thrust of the inclined arch is transmitted directly to the stifiening tubes in the vertical wall.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a locomotive fire box constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of a fragment of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the thrust block;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 44: of Flg. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of theblock.

In the drawings, I have illustrated a con ventional fire box having a grate 10,. arch tubes 11 extending from the throat'sheet to the door sheet, and a cast steel cross bearer 12 extending between and permanently secured to the mud rings of the boiler.

Ayertical o f the iGaines typei is I mounted on the cross bearer the bricks composing the wall having. vertical openings v through-which is projectedna plurality of hollow pipes 14, thelower ends of which are threaded or otherwise'secured in the cross bearer, the tubes terminating short of the top surface 101": the wall. 4 V V c An inclined horizontal arch 15 is rested on the. arch tubes and atthe intersection of the vertical and horizontal walls I provide thrust bricks l6 located between the arch tubes and shaped to-fit a metal thrust blockwhich will now be described The block comprises a body of cast metal having avertical wall 17 which is thickened toward its lower end to provide abaseportion 18. Pro- I jecting downwardly fromthe lower surface of thebase is aleg19 of generally circular form in cross section and. gradually tapered,

t i sext em y, t e-t pe be ng orm in two directions as best shown in FigsfQ and 3. I At a pointmid-way of the length of the leg I provide a fin 2O a-Iid at the lower extrem ity on the oppositeside of the leg I provide a similar fin 21, both this beingintegral and of generally pointed shape in}cross:section.

The leg-is intended to, bepro-jected into .the upper end of a stiffening tube 14 ,as

-showns However, due to some circumstances that cannot always be foreseen, the tubes .frequentlyvaryi in their nside .dlameters and provision or the fins adapts the block to .be' a readily inserted notwithstanding some such variations. If the tube is too small,- the area of the fins can readily be reduced by an emery wheel or heavy ile without unnecdelay, and the block may be fittedre gardless of small variations in the size of the tubes. 3

" It will be noted that the heavy casting is V I covered at its 'top and forward side by the refractory brick 16 beingexposed to the'action of fire only on its back side. The sub-' stantial character of the block and its loca tion in the fire box insures relatively long life. The design is such'that the -thrust of the arch .15 is transmitted directly to the vertical Wall through the stiffening tubes without any substantial assistance from the arch tubes 11.

Obviously the construction is capable of some modifications, and I do not wish to be limited except as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive firebox, the combination with arch tubes of intersecting vertical and inclined firebrick walls the latter supported on said arch tubes, hollow metallic stiffening members projecting upwardly within said vertical wall, and a metal abutment block mounted on said vertical wall and having a projection on its lower side adapted to telescope within one of said hollow stiffening members, said block being adapted to receive the thrust of said inclined arch and to transmit said thrust to the vertical wall and stiltening members.

2. The combination with a firebox having arch tubes of a transverse vertical wall having vertical tubes imbedded therein at spaced intervals, an inclined horizontal arch supported on the arch tubes and terminating at the top of said vertical wall and metal thrust blocks resting on said Vertical wall and each having a depending leg adapted to fitwithin a vertical tube in said wall, said block receiving the forward and downward thrust of said inclined arch and transmitting it to said vertical wall and the tubes therein;

3. A thrust block for use at the intersection of vertical and inclined batlles consisting of a body of metal having a relatively broad seat to rest upon the top of the vertical battle said bodybeing arranged to receive the diagonally exertedthrust of the inclined battle, and a leg, substantially circular in cross section, integral with and perpendicular to the surface of said seat and adapted to fit within a metal tube within said vertical battle, said leg being ofmateri-al-ly less diameter than the internal diameter of the tube and having a lateral fin near its lower extremity.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

RALEIGH J. HIMMELRIGHT. 

